Numerical study on performance of a vertical axis wind rotor with S-shaped blades.

Traditional Savonius wind rotor has simple structure and can operate in any wind direction. However, its aerodynamic efficiency is lower than other types. A novel S-shaped wind rotor with three blades is proposed in order to improve the aerodynamic performance. The blade of the rotor is composed of...

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Main Authors: Lei Song, Ji Wang, Shibo Wang, Zongxiao Yang, Jianxin Su
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2025-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0322953
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author Lei Song
Ji Wang
Shibo Wang
Zongxiao Yang
Jianxin Su
author_facet Lei Song
Ji Wang
Shibo Wang
Zongxiao Yang
Jianxin Su
author_sort Lei Song
collection DOAJ
description Traditional Savonius wind rotor has simple structure and can operate in any wind direction. However, its aerodynamic efficiency is lower than other types. A novel S-shaped wind rotor with three blades is proposed in order to improve the aerodynamic performance. The blade of the rotor is composed of two opposing convex circular arcs and its shape likes an 'S'. The flow characteristics of the rotor are studied and analyzed by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) numerical simulation method. The steady and transient performances are studied using SST k-ω model and sliding mesh method, and are compared with that of traditional Savonius rotors. The results show that the average static torque coefficient of the rotor is 0.291, which is higher than the 0.222 of the Savonius rotor. The static vibration amplitude of the rotor is 0.375, which is lower than 0.709 of the Savonius rotor. The maximum power coefficient of the rotor is 0.228, which is also higher than the 0.226 of the Savonius rotor. The dynamic vibration amplitude of the novel rotor is 0.183, which is lower than the 0.492 of the Savonius rotor. The flow field analyses show that structure of the S-shaped blades can smooth the flow field and reduce the blocking effect in the overlap area. The study indicates that the proposed navel rotor can not only overcome the problems of sharp change in the internal flow field of traditional Savonius rotors, but also provide better operating stability and higher wind energy utilization.
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id doaj-art-884fcfbf02424c7288aa59c91f3997ae
institution OA Journals
issn 1932-6203
language English
publishDate 2025-01-01
publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
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spelling doaj-art-884fcfbf02424c7288aa59c91f3997ae2025-08-20T02:33:19ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032025-01-01205e032295310.1371/journal.pone.0322953Numerical study on performance of a vertical axis wind rotor with S-shaped blades.Lei SongJi WangShibo WangZongxiao YangJianxin SuTraditional Savonius wind rotor has simple structure and can operate in any wind direction. However, its aerodynamic efficiency is lower than other types. A novel S-shaped wind rotor with three blades is proposed in order to improve the aerodynamic performance. The blade of the rotor is composed of two opposing convex circular arcs and its shape likes an 'S'. The flow characteristics of the rotor are studied and analyzed by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) numerical simulation method. The steady and transient performances are studied using SST k-ω model and sliding mesh method, and are compared with that of traditional Savonius rotors. The results show that the average static torque coefficient of the rotor is 0.291, which is higher than the 0.222 of the Savonius rotor. The static vibration amplitude of the rotor is 0.375, which is lower than 0.709 of the Savonius rotor. The maximum power coefficient of the rotor is 0.228, which is also higher than the 0.226 of the Savonius rotor. The dynamic vibration amplitude of the novel rotor is 0.183, which is lower than the 0.492 of the Savonius rotor. The flow field analyses show that structure of the S-shaped blades can smooth the flow field and reduce the blocking effect in the overlap area. The study indicates that the proposed navel rotor can not only overcome the problems of sharp change in the internal flow field of traditional Savonius rotors, but also provide better operating stability and higher wind energy utilization.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0322953
spellingShingle Lei Song
Ji Wang
Shibo Wang
Zongxiao Yang
Jianxin Su
Numerical study on performance of a vertical axis wind rotor with S-shaped blades.
PLoS ONE
title Numerical study on performance of a vertical axis wind rotor with S-shaped blades.
title_full Numerical study on performance of a vertical axis wind rotor with S-shaped blades.
title_fullStr Numerical study on performance of a vertical axis wind rotor with S-shaped blades.
title_full_unstemmed Numerical study on performance of a vertical axis wind rotor with S-shaped blades.
title_short Numerical study on performance of a vertical axis wind rotor with S-shaped blades.
title_sort numerical study on performance of a vertical axis wind rotor with s shaped blades
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0322953
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AT zongxiaoyang numericalstudyonperformanceofaverticalaxiswindrotorwithsshapedblades
AT jianxinsu numericalstudyonperformanceofaverticalaxiswindrotorwithsshapedblades